Towns and Villages

TBA

No country quite like Drusas has ever existed before. Though the ancient Azlanti may have seen the first stirrings of democracy among a few privileged members of their society, that radical government was neither widespread nor widely accepted, and it died when that race dissipated eons ago. Born again in the dreams of poets and philosophers of Drusas, the idea of equality before the law found a fuller expression in the tide of darkness, the wicked invasion that was the advance and brutal onslaught of the rolling tides of the Phthyan Empire.

Faced with the choice of servility under the lash or the terrors of freedom, the Drusai chose to follow their impossible dreams, and succeeded. They chose to shape a future free of infernal taint, to fight against the tyrants dictating the course of their lives, and to greet their destiny with open eyes.

They chose to assert their beliefs for themselves and for their children, neighbors, and countrymen – and in so doing, lit a fire in the spirits of the oppressed across the Phthyan Empire. Their descendants still carry this torch, and its light fills the hearts of the citizens of Drusas. They are neither pure nor innocent, but nearly all of them subscribe to the dreams of their ancestors, and believe passionately in the vision of freedom and equality that was born centuries ago.

The history of Drusai prior to its independence is one of existence with greater powers — not exactly subservience, but neither with willful steps toward self rule. The country had always existed slightly apart from the centers of power, acting primarily as a resource for the rulers who drew their necessities from its forests, rivers, and people. The Drusai had lived for centuries with others siphoning away their most precious resources; but when Empire forcibly occupied their territories, and put their citizens under the lash and collar of slavery, they revolted at last. The Drusai had at last discovered their power, and have decided they will assert it, both for themselves and for others across the world.

They pushed back and rebelled against the mighty Empire. They used their vast resources to enlist the aid of other countries such as the neighboring Bagmari, other freed slaves of the Empire, wanderers from the vast reaches of Múng-Li, their Alabic allies across the Sea, and even the savage horse-lords of The Hordelands.

The struggle took decades, but finally the independent peoples of Drusai were able to push the Phthyan threat from the majority of their lands. Only the Delpon peninsula on the Aethean Sea is now occupied by the Empire. The Phthyans have set aside sizable resources to maintain their grip over this rich province, and skirmishes along the boarders ever threaten to increase the Phthyan’s hold over this noble country.